That said, I purchased a car today. It was moderately painful, not more or less than I expected, but I am very happy with the car. It's a 2014 Prius.
In many ways, the car is out of my league. The payments and added insurance costs are going to make our monthly budget rather tight, especially with the pay reductions of the past several years. Still, I hope to save money in the long run due to its fuel efficiency, and I like that I am supporting the initiative to make more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Also, its a fun car. Getting past all of the cool things like not needing to take the keys out of my pocket to open or start the car, or the way that it wirelessly connects to my phone, or even the entertaining screens that show how efficiently I am driving, I simply enjoy driving the car. The seats are easy for me to get in and out of, the controls are generally in places that I find easy to use, the instrument panel is offset, and the wheel is the size that I prefer.
It helps that I like how it looks. The shape of the car, its intake, and its lights evoke a sense of happiness. It looks like a car of the future. The light bluish-green color called Sea Glass Pearl reminds me of the changing colors of the ocean. It's partially for that reason that I have named her after Aquaman's main love interest, Mera.
Yep, I named the car.